If you’d have told Lauren Dutton three years ago that the standoffish mule she bought from a Facebook post would be the first long-eared winner of a U.S. Equestrian Federation Horse of the Year award, she’d have called you crazy.
“ ‘Daisy’ was never meant to be more than a pasture ornament,” Dutton said of the equine who shows under the name Ooops See Daisy. “And she didn’t even like me at first!”
But Dutton won the mule over with patience—and lots of treats.
“You have to have a different mindset with mules,” said Dutton, Lenoir City, Tennessee. “You can’t force them to do something. I’ve had horses my whole life, but Daisy made me question whether I knew what I was doing. I had to shift from being her leader to her partner.”
The bribery—and Dutton’s intentional effort to earn Daisy’s trust—paid off. The two earned three 2023 USEF HOTY honors in western dressage: amateur introductory level, amateur suitability and amateur horsemanship. The team also brought home a slew of awards from last year’s Western Dressage Association of America World Championship Show (Oklahoma).
Dutton grew up showing Quarter Horses, but when she became a wife and mother, she took a break to focus on her family. In fact, she told her husband, “If I ask for a horse, remind me that I said it’s a terrible idea.”
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But then she bought a yearling Quarter Horse and a little farm in Tennessee, because Dutton, who grew up on a horse farm, wanted that same life for her daughter. Of course, the young horse needed a buddy, so Dutton started searching for an inexpensive companion.
She found a then-11-year-old, 15.3-hand chestnut mule for sale. A video showed Daisy in an open dressage test, wiggling down the lines and braying.
“Well, she’d be fun to look at out in the field,” Dutton thought, so she bought the mule sight unseen.
Dutton fell in love with Daisy’s big, smooth trot and easygoing, unflappable nature. But the mare was out of shape and heavy on the forehand, and she couldn’t manage more than a trot. Nevertheless, Dutton found herself wanting to ride Daisy more and more.
But, Dutton wondered, “What do I do with a mule that doesn’t canter?”
A local schooling show offered western dressage classes, and the intro level was walk-trot. Dutton looked at the pattern, which reminded her of the horsemanship classes of her youth. “We can do this,” she thought.
“She was so well behaved,” Dutton said of that first show. “And she had more potential than I ever realized.”
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They attended a few more shows, and Daisy was again her easygoing, willing and unflappable self. Dutton was hooked.
A friend explained the process for collecting USEF points, and Dutton set her sights on winning a HOTY award. She mapped out the year’s schedule, planning a few local shows, plus some competitions at “dream venues” like Tryon (North Carolina). At the SmartPak/USEF Horse of the Year awards ceremony (Kentucky) in January, Dutton was introduced to USEF President Tom O’Mara as “that girl with the mule.”
These days, Daisy is working on her canter. The team is excited to compete in the WDAA’s basic level this year.
“Daisy made me rethink everything I thought I knew about riding,” Dutton said. “I have to listen to her. I have to pay attention. I have to keep earning her trust. And if I do that, she’ll give me the world.”
A version of this article originally appeared in the March 2024, issue of The Chronicle of the Horse. You can subscribe and get online access to a digital version and then enjoy a year of The Chronicle of the Horse and our lifestyle publication, Untacked. If you’re just following COTH online, you’re missing so much great unique content. Each print issue of the Chronicle is full of in-depth competition news, fascinating features, probing looks at issues within the sports of hunter/jumper, eventing and dressage, and stunning photography.
